A special shout out to Shogi and everyone who reviewed the last chapter. :) I hope you enjoy the long chapter.
Summer in Konoha:
It started at his temple, just the slightest ticklish sensation gaining slow momentum down the side of his face. The sand absorbed the small drop before it made it to his eyes and his skin felt just as warm as it did a minute ago. The small fan blowing the warm air next to him offered little relief from the stifling summer air.
He sat down on the neat coverlet of the bed and tugged the white robe over his head, sighing as it slid down to his lap. He could feel sweat on every inch of his body not covered by sand and wondered if it was too early to take a bath. The heat was nothing much, but this sweaty, sticky feeling hanging in the air like something thick enough to touch was not something he cared for.
He turned the fan to face him, wishing the air it blew toward him was cooler, missing the clay walls of his home in Suna and the dry desert air. Glancing at the sun sinking into the treetops beyond Konoha's walls he realized night would offer no reprieve. He glanced down at the thin cotton blanket on his bed. The thought of climbing between any material at all made him uncomfortable.
His fingers went to the clasps at his neck, popping them out quickly and sliding the zipper down to his waist. He shrugged out of the material, sighing at the instant relief as the coat fell to the bed. But the relief was short lived and only a scant few minutes later, his body grew uncomfortably warm again. Gaara's shoulders slumped, his head dipping forward while he closed his eyes. He would never grow accustomed to Konoha's summers. He would suggest to Tsunade that next time they meet in spring.
Gaara lifted his head at the knock at his door. "Come in," Gaara said, glancing in time to catch his guard appear.
"Uzumaki Naruto wishes to see you."
Gaara nodded and a familiar smile appeared, framed by six whisker-like marks. His eyes were bright and Gaara noted his unusual attire: an orange sleeveless shirt that hugged the contours of his body and a pair of black shorts that reached just below his knees.
"Tsunade-baba said you're all done with your meetings." His smiled and paused, blue eyes darting down and quickly up, taking in his appearance. Gaara glanced down at his mesh shirt, and the white robe still bunched in his lap.
"Forgive me," Gaara said, grabbing the sleeves of his jacket and pushing his fingers through.
"No, it's fine!" Uzumaki held up one hand.
Gaara allowed the material to fall, but he picked up the robe and pulled it over his head for modesty's sake.
"I feel hot just looking at you," Uzumaki commented. "Does everyone from Suna overdress?"
"The desert is harsh. I wear this for protection."
Uzumaki closed his mouth and nodded. A slow smile started on one side of his mouth, turning into a lop-sided grin. "I'm supposed to take you to dinner, but I think I know some place better." He rushed forward and grabbed Gaara by the wrist. His tugged him forward and toward the door. Gaara glanced down at this casual touch with slight awe. He glanced up at the head of spiky blond locks, stumbling forward as he was dragged along.
They stopped in a shady copse of trees hanging over a wide blue lake. Naruto shucked off his shoes and reached for the hem of his top, pulling it up smoothly and tossing it onto the grass.
"I hope you know how to swim," he grinned over his shoulder. Gaara glanced at the motionless water and frowned. Uzumaki was pulling down his shorts, allowing them to slip down to his ankles and confidently strutted toward the water.
Gaara steeled himself with a breath before yanking up the white robe. He glanced around the grass around him, choosing to hang the robe on a low branch instead. He pulled off his shoes and paused.
Uzumaki jumped into the lake, kicking up water and hollering what sounded like a war cry. "The water feels great!" He dunked his head under and shot back up again like a torpedo rising. He shook his wet hair and laughed. "What are you waiting for?"
Gaara hesitated, one hand rubbing his arm absently. Perhaps Naruto forgot why he stayed away from water. Gaara regretted not bringing his gourd. He took a deep breath before lifting the hem of his mesh shirt. He pulled it over his head and draped it over the branch next to his robe. The sweat slid down his temple and he glanced at the water longingly. His fingers hesitated at his waist.
"Are you sure we're safe here?" He glanced around the trees humming with cicadas, looking for an invisible enemy waiting for him to render himself helpless.
""We're still within Konoha's walls. And besides, I'm here, aren't I?" Naruto's shot a cheeky grin before throwing himself backwards, and floating on the surface of the water. "I love swimming in summer!"
Gaara undid the clasp at his waist. He pulled his pants down slowly, grateful that Naruto's attention was elsewhere. He threw his pants over the branch and paused, taking one more glance around the trees before stepping forward, rubbing the skin on his arm. He dipped one toe in the water and frowned as the sand absorbed it instantly, growing heavier with the new weight. He hopped back when a sudden splash aimed for him, flinching under the few drops that reached him.
"Come on in!" Naruto waved him forward. Gaara glanced down at his toe.
"The sand won't leave me," he said, lifting his foot experimentally and feeling the heavy weight of just one wet toe.
"Tell it you want to go swimming," Naruto said. He grinned and began splashing again, catching Gaara's chest and legs. Gaara tried to will the angry sand away, trying to be soothing and assure his lack of danger. Slowly, the sand shifted when he pointed his toe toward the water.
He allowed the sand wrapped around his body to slide free, shaping it into a clone and giving instruction to stand guard. The clone nodded and took position near the tree fully dressed despite Gaara's lack of clothes. Gaara stepped into the water, feeling terribly exposed. Naruto looked up, watching the sand clone with slight amazement.
Gaara eased himself into the lake, closing his eyes in relief as the cool water encased his body. He dunked his head in the water and rose again, wiping his eyes. Naruto was smiling at him before he threw himself back into the water, splashing around. "Isn't this great? I swim every day that I can during the summer."
"It must be nice to live in a land so full of water." Gaara lifted an arm and watched the droplets slide off. Naruto stood and Gaara tried not to notice the width of his shoulders. His arms had gained more bulk since last they met. He envied the honey color of his skin. Gaara glanced down at his own paleness. He glanced up at the bright sun, shielding his pale eyes with one hand. "I should not stay long. My skin will not bronze like yours does."
"I should have realized you're the type that burns," Naruto scratched the back of his matted hair. "Guess we better skip to the fun part!" Naruto disappeared beneath the water, his blurry outline shifting beneath the water. Gaara stepped away, remembering what had happened in the bath. His cheeks warmed when he remembered the odd reaction his body had to the other shinobi, but one misstep and Naruto's hands were around his ankles. He felt his body falling backwards and gasped as his vision went blue and only the sun burned like a bright star above the water.
He came up and scowled, throwing himself forward and lunging for the other boy, but the water slowed him and he was new to this game and Naruto moved smoothly through the water like a fish, or a frog, accustomed to swimming and leaping when he must.
Naruto tried to lure him deeper into the water, but Gaara refused to take the bait. It was obvious his opponent was a strong swimmer and Gaara had never mastered the art of floating without the use of his chakra. Gaara took a deep breath and slid under the water, trying to float with his stomach parallel to the floor the way Naruto did. It would be difficult to catch him if he wasn't standing. He struggled to stay under the water, his body insisting on rising to the surface. He was paddling with one hand quite furiously when he felt the familiar grip on his ankles and his entire body was being flipped in a somersault motion under water. Gaara struggled to regain his bearings, temporarily confused when he couldn't tell which way was up or down. A hand reached for his and helped him to regain his footing. He stood up, feeling partially drowned and sputtered up a mouthful of water.
He scraped his tongue along the edge of his teeth and spit, not too pleased with the taste of it. He burped from the mouthful he swallowed and felt his cheeks turn red, covering his mouth and glancing at Naruto sheepishly. The other youth tilted his head back in laughter.
"I'm sorry! I'll stop. It's no fair if I just come off as a bully. I probably spend a lot more time in the water than you." Naruto glanced at the lake and sighed a bit wistfully. "Sometimes Sakura or Sai will join me and race. Of course, most of the time they cheat and use their chakra, but I've been known to be a pretty fast swimmer," Uzumaki rambled. Gaara kept as much of himself in the water as possible, nodding slightly to show he was listening. He swirled his fingers in the water stroking from side to side and enjoying the small ripples around him. Part of him still waited for the other shinobi to dive under water and attack him again.
"So how about it?" Uzumaki was grinning at him again. "Want to race?" His blue eyes sharpened with determination. Gaara stood slightly to raise his mouth above the water.
"You would win. I can't swim." Naruto's expression fell.
"At all? What if you used your chakra?"
Gaara shook his head. "I prefer not to risk it."
Naruto scratched his head. He crossed his arms over his chest and stood up.
"I can teach you."
Gaara's eyes widened just slightly. He glanced back down at the water and realized it would indeed be helpful. But then he glanced at Naruto's bare torso again and the thin boxers floating around his body. He remembered what happened the year before and fluke or no fluke, he had no desire to repeat it. He shook his head and slid back into the water.
"Oh come on," Naruto said, approaching him. He grabbed Gaara by the arm and tugged him forward dragging him deeper into the lake until the water reached his chest. Gaara noticed ruefully that while the water caressed his collar bone, it hardly reached the dark nipples on Uzumaki's glistening chest. He raised his eyes quickly and Uzumaki began explaining the first drill. He shifted on his back and arched it slightly explaining to Gaara how to float.
Gaara nodded, taking in Uzumaki's form, drinking in the drops glistening between the dips of his well defined abs, pausing again on the green boxers clinging to his body. He thought of his own less developed body with slight shame. Naruto shifted back onto his feet and asked him to try it.
Gaara snapped out of his thoughts and leaned backwards, trying to raise his feet. His behind sunk like a stone, threatening to pull him down. Naruto's hands caught him, his fingers spread wide across his back, lifting him up. Gaara tried to drag up his feet, tossing his head back far enough to feel the water creep up to his nose. He started sinking again and Naruto's other hand slid to his leg just below the curve of his behind. Gaara arched his back so quickly with shock he splashed the water around him.
"That's it!" Uzumaki praised him, letting him go and stepping away while Gaara discovered he could float.
Gaara stared up at the sky, grateful that the water he was floating in was so cool. His heart still hammered with the shock of Naruto's hands on him. He reminded himself of what Kankuro said, that he was unaccustomed to human touch; that his body was simply hyper aware of human contact and jumped to its own conclusions. He clung to this explanation as the reason why he could feel his pulse leaping against his throat and blamed the sun for the warm sensation that spread from his cheeks to his throat. When he managed to slow his heartbeat, he dared to climb back onto his feet. He watched more attentively as Naruto showed him the dead man's float and quickly jumped to follow his example. And when Naruto's hands pressed straight against his stomach, helping him float while his legs kicked strong enough to send the water splashing, he focused on this movement, on the slippery feel of the water tangling around his legs, resisting the movement.
"Not bad," Naruto released him. "Maybe we can manage a doggy paddle before we go." He launched himself forward and swam a few lengths out. "Keep yourself on your stomach and kick. Hold your head above the water and use your hands to paddle upwards to keep yourself floating." Naruto demonstrated, kicking up a storm behind him while his head bobbed above the water. He smiled and curved back the other way, pausing a few body lengths out. "You try it!"
Gaara tried to calculate the distance between them and worried. He was still new to this floating and he wasn't sure he could manage without Naruto's hands there to support him. His body flushed remembering their warm touch against his skin. He closed his eyes and steeled himself before floating his body up to the surface. He strained his neck to push his chin forward, above the water, his hand scrambling to keep himself up. He kicked tentatively and felt himself glide forward. Encouraged, he kept going until he was nearly to Naruto. His heart fluttered with excitement when he reached the shinobi and he lowered his body to stand only to feel himself reach for a floor that wasn't there. He panicked as his head slipped under the water, hands trying to claw their way up. Every scrap of knowledge Naruto had just taught him fled his mind and he thought of the sand on dry land that could not help him.
An arm slipped around his waist and he felt his body press against another. His head was pulled above the surface and he coughed and sputtered. Naruto held him close, his legs kicking furiously beneath the water.
"I got you," he said soothingly. "Sorry, I was careless." Naruto paddled forward and slowly dragged them closer to the lake's edge. Gaara was quiet, still shaken over the experience, but suddenly more distracted by the arm clasped around his chest and the press of skin against his back. He shivered beneath the water and Naruto asked if he was cold to which he had no answer. Naruto set him down and when the contact was gone his body suddenly felt cooler; and yet his cheeks still burned.
Naruto stepped closer and looked at him closely. His thumb brushed a cheek and he frowned. "Your cheeks are red. They feel warm to the touch. I hope you didn't burn in this short time."
Gaara's face exploded with heat and he turned away. "It's possible. My skin is seldom unprotected in the sun." He dragged his feet through the water, headed for dry land. "Thank you for the lesson," he said. He shook his head when his clone turned to look at him, lifting his still wet limbs. The air was still thick with heat and moisture despite the orange glow over the gate signaling the late evening. He felt his skin dry quickly, a bead of what he suspected was sweat forming not soon after. He looked down at his damp underwear and grimaced. He wished Naruto had had the foresight to grab towels. He grabbed the kage robe from the hanging branch and with some reluctance, pulled it over his head. The fabric was soft against his skin and for the first time he realized what fine fabric it really was.
Naruto sat at the base of the tree, sitting cross-legged in his damp boxers. "Relax, in this heat, your clothes should dry in no time. It will help if you don't wear your robe. That will just make you get all sweaty again." Gaara glanced up at the sky and Naruto followed his gaze. "The shade should protect your skin." Naruto pat the spot next to him. Gaara glanced at the other shinobi hesitantly. He pulled the robe off slowly and hung it back up. His skin was already dry with the exception of his hair and boxers. He sat down carefully next to Naruto and pulled his knees up to his chest.
"Man, that was dangerous," Naruto shook his head. "Tsunade would have had my skin if I drowned the leader of another country."
Gaara couldn't help the small smile. He had indeed been terrified at the time, but he couldn't help laughing at it now. The most fearsome shinobi in Suna and it was a lake that had almost done him in. "Thank you, for taking care of me." Naruto glanced at him and his hand shot forward to finger a curl of his hair.
Gaara pulled back, glancing at the hand suspiciously.
"Your hair curls a lot in this weather, doesn't it?"
Gaara tilted his head to the side. He had never actually noticed it before. Naruto pat his own hair, frowning. "Mine just sticks up a lot."
"It's different at other times of the year?" Gaara's lips curled and he glanced down at his knees to hide it.
"Well now that you mention it I suppose it's not really all that..." Naruto paused. His mouth fell open and he pointed at Gaara accusingly. "You just made a joke!" He held his stomach and started laughing. "Not a very good one, mind you, but a worthy attempt!" He clapped Gaara on the back and leaned forward laughing.
Gaara tried not to heed the warm hand on his shoulder. He expected Naruto to remove it at any moment, but it stayed there. The shinobi's laughter died down and he leaned forward, his blue eyes serious again.
"Now tell me something, I've been dying to know. Is the kazekage..." his hand slipped away and he leaned forward to whisper, "ticklish?" Quick hands rushed to his waist and Gaara felt the most shocking sensation he had ever experienced. His body squirmed away, trying to escape the persistent hands. He let out a small squeal and Naruto's pressed on mercilessly, shifting to his stomach and just below his arms. Gaara fought the sensations, turning his body to try to ward off the touch. His sand clone glanced at them angrily but Gaara held it at bay. He managed to scramble onto his knees, but Naruto's arms were wrapped around him from behind. He tugged him back and Gaara was knocked off his feet, falling into the other body. He landed in Naruto's lap and squirmed from the hands around him.
He tried to escape when the ticklish sensations were starting to have other affects on him as well. He willed his body to not respond in that way. "I bet your legs are ticklish too!" Naruto declared, reaching one hand to squeeze just above his knee. Gaara gasped and kicked his leg away. Naruto's hand followed and his arm landed in his lap and froze. Gaara's breath hitched. His face burned and he used Naruto's temporary pause to escape his grasp. He scrambled away and nodded to the sand clone which quickly dissolved and returned to Gaara's body. Gaara turned and Naruto sat with his back to the tree trunk, averting his gaze. Gaara was certain that he had felt it, that he had noticed his rather problematic state. But Naruto said nothing, running a hand through his damp hair.
"Sorry. I took things too far again," he apologized. Gaara snatched his robe from the tree and pulled it over his head quickly.
"It's getting late. The others will worry if we are gone too long."
Naruto nodded and quickly collected his clothes. They both dressed quietly, neither complaining despite the still damp state of their underwear or the awkward events beneath the tree. Gaara accepted Naruto's first dinner suggestion without argument and the two walked quietly to a small ramen stand bearing a sign that read Ichiraku.
Gaara looked at the steam rising off the bowl and tugged the collar of his robe. He swore he felt the sweat sliding down his back though he had not experienced such sensations before. He glanced at the other shinobi who tucked into his meal with relish seemingly unaware of the steam rising from the bowl and the sultry summer night.
Gaara lifted the steaming noodles to his lips, blowing discreetly and secretly grateful that there would be no conversation while they ate.
-
Night in Konoha
-
Naruto paused and glanced inside the dark window. He noticed the lump in the bed and rapped the glass with his knuckles. He turned his head, glancing across the quiet street to make sure no one could see him. He knocked a little louder and felt relief ease the hammering of his pulse when he noted a shadow slip out of the bed and move to the closet.
Sakura's face pressed near the glass. Her pink hair was disheveled and the dark smudges under her eyes were visible even in the dim light. Naruto smiled at her guiltily as she flipped the lock on her window and slid it open slowly. Her eyes were more alert as she listened for sounds below. They both held their breath, absolutely still in the silence until she waved him forward and Naruto slipped through the small window awkwardly, careful not to kick the lamp at his foot.
"This better be good," she said softly, flipping on the light. She left the window open and walked back over to her bed, sitting on the rumpled pink sheet and sitting in front of the fan.
Naruto chewed his lip, wondering where to begin. Earlier events played themselves out in his memory and it was only when Sakura cleared her throat that he realized he had spaced out.
"Well?" she arched a slim eyebrow. Her arms crossed over her chest, pulling the cherry colored robe tighter over her breasts. On any other day, Naruto would have been excited about that. Instead he ruffled the hair at the back of his head, sliding his hand down to his neck and letting it rest there.
"I think the Kazekage is gay," he blurted less delicately than he had planned. He flinched at his own words and Sakura's expression remained unmoved.
That's it? Her expression seemed to say.
"So?" Both her eyebrows lifted.
Naruto grimaced and turned away, pacing forward before whirling to face her. "I think he's attracted to me."
Sakura's mouth opened, her eyes thoughtful. Whatever words she had chosen she kept to herself. She tilted her head slightly before closing her mouth and facing him again. "How did you notice?"
Naruto launched into his story about the lake and the swimming lesson and his need to indulge in pranks. Sakura's mouth fell open, aghast when Naruto told her he had tickled the Kazekage. "And well, I was trying to reach his knee, you know... that spot that always makes you squeal, and well, my arm sort of landed in his lap and he was..." he paused, remembering the sensation and his eyes widened again in shock, "you know."
Sakura's mouth tilted down at the edges. Her brows furrowed.
"I didn't say anything at the time. I pretended like I didn't notice, but how could I not? And it's not like I can tease him about this because he's Gaara and geez, the last thing he needs is to be teased after what he's been through. That or his sand might kill me in my sleep!"
Sakura sighed, bowing her head and resting her forehead in her hand. Naruto paused, surprised out of his tirade by her reaction and the creepy vision of Tsunade at her desk, making the exact same gesture.
"Is this the first time this has happened?" she asked. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and bowed his head. He closed his eyes, thinking back to his limited interaction with Suna's leader.
"That I know of," he frowned. "I don't know what to do. I can't lead him on! I can't just ignore it forever either. I'm freaking out here, Sakura. You gotta help me! And why aren't you panicking with me?"
Sakura tugged the robe over her and slid one leg onto the bed. She turned her body to face him, her pink hair wafting in the fan's breeze. "Sit down," she said patting her mattress.
A goofy smile slid onto Naruto's face and he felt his cheeks grow warm. Sakura had never allowed him on her bed before. Her hand smacked the back of his head just as his bottom touched the mattress. "And don't be a pervert about it." He clutched the smarting area and pouted.
She scowled at the floor before taking a steadying breath and meeting his eyes again. Her faced looked serious and Naruto grew worried. "It has been obvious to most of us close enough to the Kazekage to realize he has had rather," her head tilted, her eyes unfocused, "special feelings for you."
Naruto covered his mouth, feeling his cheeks heating up on either side of his nose. "It's pretty amazing, but you seem to be the only one who didn't notice that you're the only one that makes the Kazekage smile." Naruto turned away and stared at the floor. He thought back to Gaara's many smiles since that fight when they were twelve. He has assumed... He had always imagined that it had become commonplace. "The problem is," Sakura continued and Naruto turned his attention back to her, "I'm not sure Gaara has realized it either."
Naruto turned, pulling his leg up onto the bed. "You mean... he doesn't know he likes me?" His mouth fell open in slight horror. "But... how can he not after what happened?"
Sakura gave him another one of her are you a total moron? looks. "You remember when you fainted last year in Suna? Gaara volunteered to bathe with you so you'd have a babysitter." Naruto objected to her phrasing of the situation, but he didn't dare argue. She was already grumpy and that last smack to the head hurt despite the lack of intent to hurt him. He nodded hesitantly. "Not even Kankuro had bathed with his brother before. He was a little hurt by it. Gaara has bathed alone for as long as he was able. Obviously he makes rather remarkable exceptions for you."
Naruto felt like his eyes couldn't get much bigger.
"He's not used to being around other people naked. And if you recall our first days with Sai, you should remember how self-conscious we all get sometimes baring it all in front of others."
Naruto flashed back to the sand leaving his skin and the casual way he kept touching the Kazekage. He had touched the Kazekage's skin...
"He's not accustomed to rough housing like you or I. His body could just be sensitive to human contact, especially when it comes from someone he so obviously cares about. But if anything, he is probably just as confused about it as you are and a lot more embarrassed." Naruto nodded. The blush in his cheeks had spread to his neck, recalling how he had essentially pulled Gaara into his lap, running his hands all over him. He covered his face to hide his mortification.
"Don't be a jerk about it, Naruto. Gaara is less emotionally mature than you are, but he's also a lot more vulnerable. You do not want Kankuro and Temari on your ass if you do something to hurt him. Or Tsunade, when she finds out you've ruined diplomatic relations because you decided to act like you were twelve again instead of eighteen."
"But what do I do?" he said, flopping back onto her bed and staring at the wooden ceiling. "I can't ignore it. I can't be all casual when I know it makes him all confused."
Sakura was quiet. Her weight shifted on the bed and she settled on her side, one elbow propped up and head in her hand. "Well how do you feel about it? What are your feelings toward the Kazekage?"
Naruto folded his hands over his stomach. He tried to think of an answer to Sakura's question while he stared up at the patterns in the wood above him. How do I feel?
His thoughts shifted through the many conflicting feelings in his heart, but they slipped away from him like something he could not grasp. His mind was distracted by the heat, by the silence, by the heaviness in the air that could only be relieved with a summer storm. The patterns in the wood above him took shape and as he tried to focus, to figure out if this panic was indignation, disgust, or confusion, his eyes latched onto a small bit of darkened wood not too unlike a familiar gourd.
-
Gaara swayed his hand absently, feeling the push and pull of the water around him, remembering the feeling of the water slipping against his legs as Naruto held him up and his hips turned with each kick. He blinked and glanced across the tub at Kankuro's naked face watching him curiously. He averted his eyes and slid into the water a bit deeper.
"What's on your mind?" his brother ignored his evasive tactics. One hand held onto the folded towel resting on his brown hair and he used the other to help scoot himself closer. "You were daydreaming a moment ago and you seldom look happy when you do." Gaara felt the all too increasingly familiar burn beneath his skin.
He shook his head, but his brother's gaze was steady.
"It happened again, that's all." He met his brother's eyes and nodded at the wrinkle in his forehead and the grim comprehension.
"When?" he asked.
"Earlier today. Before dinner, Uzumaki took me a nearby lake. He taught me to swim," he paused, still perplexed by this odd turn in events. No one had ever stopped to teach him anything not related to battle.
"He taught you... to swim?" Kankuro reiterated. "You let him near you again without your shield?" Kankuro's eyes shifted to the clone watching from the door. Gaara nodded quietly. "Is that when... I mean..." Kankuro coughed.
Gaara shook his head, eyes bent toward the water. "It was after... when he tickled me." Gaara said the word carefully, still unaccustomed to the word, curling his tongue up until he was certain he pronounced the k and the l.
"He what?" Kankuro gaped, holding his torso away. "You're ticklish?" Kankuro sounded vaguely horrified.
"I was when I was four," Gaara said absently. An old memory surfaced and he wondered how he could forget Yashamaru's laughing face as his fingers poked into Gaara's sides. He had forgotten how he had laughed as a child.
Kankuro was silent next to him. He leaned his head back and slid the towel over his eyes and the room fell silent save for the occasional rustle of sand.
"And he's the only one? You're certain?" His voice was slightly muffled. Gaara nodded and then realized his brother could not see him.
"He is also the only one to touch me while I bore no shield. Perhaps," he paused. Kankuro pulled the towel down to glance at his brother. Gaara glanced at the clone before lowering his vision back to the water. "Perhaps if I allowed others..."
Perhaps if he tested himself to see if the same occurred with any others, he wanted to say.
"You don't have to go so far," Kankuro interrupted him. "It's not like your sand prevents you from feeling things completely." Gaara nodded at his brother's wisdom. It was true that giving up his shield was a risky undertaking. Were he a simple jounin it might be permissible, but he was the kazekage. "And anyways, you shouldn't be ashamed. I've always suspected that Uzumaki kind of stood out in your eyes. And it's not uncommon for male shinobi to couple, especially among teams."
Gaara looked up in surprise. Kankuro pulled the towel back over his face, but not before Gaara caught a glimpse of red on his cheeks.
"Why did this not come to my attention before?"
Kankuro's arm rested against his forehead. "Because out team has always been you, me, and Temari. Obviously working with your siblings is a little different than working with strangers. I wasn't going to take out my sexual frustrations on my siblings."
Gaara's mouth fell open when he realized his brother was speaking from experience.
"Then with who?" Gaara asked calmly. Kankuro whipped off the towel and glared at him. But Gaara was only curious and wasn't trying to tease his brother. He chewed his lip, annoyance plain on his face. He grimaced and slapped the water in frustration.
"Inuzuka, Kiba. The one with the dog," Kankuro looked away and Gaara remembered the boy with the brown face marked with tattoos. He was always loud and brash, not too different from Uzumaki at times. Gaara nodded and smiled at his brother with a new sense of kinship.
"Please don't look at me like that," Kankuro sighed. "The point is, it happens. For some of us it sticks, for others it's a way to unwind before we go back to facing uncertain death. You just gotta figure out if you're responding to him because you feel lonely, or horny," he nearly choked on the word, "or if you're like Temari and have a thing for just one person in particular."
Gaara titled his head, wondering who Temari could possibly be so attached to. For as long as he had known her, his sister had been a tom boy. The only time he remembered she was a girl was when she yelled at the two of them in motherly ways or scolded them for worrying her, or complained of the pain in her stomach and snapped at them more than usual. But Kankuro didn't seem inclined to elaborate.
"How do I find out? How do I know if..." Gaara paused. If I only want Uzumaki? he asked himself.
Kankuro crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. He titled his head to the side like he did whenever he had a particularly difficult time solving something. He made a low sort of "hn" sound before tilting his head the other way. Finally he nodded.
"It may be too late to do anything about it tonight, but I do have an idea. Inuzuka," Kankuro paused and coughed a little, averting his eyes, "owes me some favors," he said into his hand. "Maybe I can call one in tomorrow. In the meantime, don't think too much about it. It doesn't bother you when you're not being touched by Uzumaki, right?"
Gaara shook his head. Kankuro smiled with what Gaara suspected was relief. "Great! You're probably worrying over nothing." Kankuro pat his brother's shoulder and Gaara nodded. He tried not to frown.
-
Sakura was shaking him roughly. Naruto roused himself and opened his eyes to see the familiar shape of dark wood. "Go sleep in your own bed," she grumped at him. Naruto rubbed his face, realizing how tired he was.
"Sorry," he muttered, sitting up and smoothing out the rumpled sheets. Sakura's big green eyes were worried. She pat his knee before he stood up and stretched. "I'm sorry to bother you so late. I should go," he said. He head toward the open window and Sakura rose from the bed to follow him. Her hand paused on his wrist before he could climb up.
"You shouldn't let this bother you. Not yet. Let the Kazekage figure out his own feelings before botching up what may very well be his only real friendship." Naruto nodded, sighing as he lifted himself out of the window.
A slight breeze had lifted in the street, the air seemed heavier with moisture. A storm was on its way.
Sakura turned off her light and looked up at him from the window. In the moonlight, her skin was pale, her hair somehow darker. For a moment, Naruto reflected how similar they were in features: green eyes, warm colored hair and pale skin. He stopped and shook away that train of thought before it could progress further.
He bid Sakura good night before turning to the gathered clouds moving toward the village. He rushed to his own apartment before they could catch up.
His apartment was silent as he slipped inside. He rushed to open the windows, the stuffiness in the room enough to make him feel claustrophobic. He tossed off his shirt and his shorts, padding around his apartment in just his boxers. His mind flashed back to the kage's hesitation and how he had undressed slowly and tried to cover himself while he stood on the edge of the lake.
How had Naruto missed how uncomfortable he was?
Naruto leaped onto his bed and turned onto his back, resting the back of his head in his hands. He stared at his own ceiling, but there was no gourd like pattern or any patterns other than weird blob shaped outlines.
"How do I feel about this?" he asked the empty room. Sakura's words had calmed him somehow. She was right of course. He was being immature and there was no reason to be angry or disgusted. He doubted Gaara had ever harbored a crush on anyone before. This was probably his first one. He imagined it was confusing and he remembered how sensitive he was to Sakura's every word when they were kids or how crestfallen he was every time she looked at him with cold eyes or threw herself on Sasuke's arm. He couldn't bring himself to make Gaara suffer the same.
But wouldn't kindness be the same as leading him on?
Naruto groaned and turned onto his side. His stuffed his face into his pillow and wondered... what was he going to do?
He raised his head when the first drops hit the window pane. He dragged himself up and stomped over to the window, ready to slide it closed when he stopped. He looked up at the dark gray clouds, a swirl in the dark night sky. A fat drop hit his eye lash and he blinked. He sighed and his hand moved away from the still open window. He pulled on the nearest articles of clothing and climbed out the window back into the night.
-
Gaara sat alone on the roof on the guest tower. Or almost alone since he ignored the presence of his ANBU guard in the background. He sat quietly and gazed on the dark village. A breeze had lifted and he preferred the solitary rooftop in the open air to the stuffy confines of his room. He could smell the moisture in the air. It weighed on him, struggling to gather and form the rain he knew would come.
Even in summer, water was plentiful in this green country. Gaara felt a pang of longing for his dry home.
It had been a long time since he had sat alone and gazed out on the peaceful village. He didn't like to remember the last time, or the senseless murder that took place the eve of the chuunin finals. It felt like another lifetime ago.
Now he had fame and recognition in a positive way. He had a community that accepted him, family that loved him and friends... A best friend even. A best friend who he potentially cared for more than he thought himself capable.
Gaara lifted his face when the first drop brushed his nose. Another followed, not far behind and tickled his hand.
He lifted his palm up, reaching with dry hands for the rain falling. This sort of touch had never bothered him, nor his brother's hand, warm on his shoulder, or his sister's embraces when she left and returned from missions. The medics had never elicited such reactions when they checked his body, or healed the occassional illness. In the catalogue of human interaction he had experienced since his ascent from madness, only Uzumaki had made his body react on its own. It was a frightening possibility, this lack of control. His only solution was to prevent any contact until he could determine its true cause.
And yet, somewhere deep inside, he wondered how Uzumaki felt when he touched him. The other shinobi seemed thoroughly unaffected by touch, unashamed of baring his body or seeing another bare his. He accepted it without a second thought and Gaara was left to wonder if maybe he was simply still removed from the world in some ways. But he recoiled at the thought of entering a public bath and rendering himself vulnerable before so many others.
The time between drops lessened and they began colliding against his unmoving body with more force. He enjoyed the cool sensation they brought and tilted his face up to the sky. He turned when the sounds of a scuffle interrupted the peace. His sand rustled despite the rain, ready to attack the intrusion.
Gaara relaxed when a guard brought forward a familiar scowling face. Uzumaki's neck was held tightly in the ANBU's arm.
"He was sneaking around the roof, Kazekage-sama," the toneless voice sounded from behind a white mask.
"I just wanted to see if he was awake! Sheesh," Naruto scowled, his hands on the black clad arm struggled to loosen the iron grip.
"Release him," Gaara said calmly. "Thank you," Gaara turned away, looking back up at the drops falling down from the sky. Naruto grumbled after the guard released him, still scowling as he settled down next to Gaara on the terra cotta tiles. "Forgive him, it's his job," Gaara said, not looking at the other shinobi. He tried to ignore the sudden leap his heart had taken when the other shinobi appeared.
"Yeah, I know. I'm mostly sore that I got caught." He ruffled his hair and Gaara noted his bare arms. The crystal rested against his clavicle above the neckline of an orange tank top.
Gaara averted his eyes. "I couldn't sleep," he said, leaning back and pressing his palms against the wavy tiles. The surface was harsh against his palms, but he ignored his discomfort, intent on seeming at ease. "Your nights offer no relief from the heat."
Naruto nodded. "We never get used to it either. Not really anyway. It helps if you don't wear so much clothing," Naruto chuckled and then quickly stopped. He stopped smiling and cleared his throat.
"I was admiring your monument," Gaara changed the subject. "You look up to them, don't you?" Gaara could just make out the godaime's stoic face. He seldom saw her look so stoic, but he could see the likeness.
"Oh yeah, that!" Naruto laughed. "Once, when I was twelve I painted all over them. I gave sandaime a bloody nose and everything!" Gaara glanced at the known prankster in slight surprise. Naruto's smile turned wistful. The rain grew heavier, but all his attention was directed at that monument. "That was before Iruka acknowledged me, back when no one paid attention unless I was getting in trouble."
Gaara looked down into his lap. Naruto's tone was not lost on him. It was always difficult to drag up memories from that time.
"I wonder what my father would have said if he had seen what I did to his face," Naruto chuckled.
Gaara's ears perked up in curiosity. He had never asked Naruto about his parentage before.
"Your father?"
Naruto's face erupted into a huge smile. He beamed with pride when he pointed to the monument. "Second one from the right."
Gaara glanced up in surprise at the fourth hokage. He had heard that the young leader had died young, sacrificing himself to seal the nine tailed beast into... his son.
"Our parents were not so different, were they?" Gaara said. Two boys, sons of the village yondaime and infused with the power of a tailed beast at their father's behest.
Naruto lowered his head. He took a deep breath and leaned back. "My father wanted me to be a hero, or so Kakashi-sensei tells me. But things didn't work out quite that way. Not at first," he added hastily.
Gaara nodded and for the first time, he realized how alone the boy must have been. Gaara had always taken his siblings for granted. For some years he had what he thought was Yashamaru's love and though he never cared for the yondaime, his father, he had a parent to care for him in ways Naruto had not.
"Your father would be proud," Gaara said. His mind flashed back to the decomposing body they had found after the chuunin exams. "My father would be disappointed to see what a dull weapon I've become."
"Don't say that!" Naruto protested hotly. His hand grabbed Gaara's shoulder. The touch was warm and it pleased him that Naruto seemed so outraged on his behalf. He quelled the smile threatening to emerge as he glanced down at that hand. Nothing pooled in his belly or other awkward places as he he glanced up at Naruto. The other boy paused, seemingly surprised by his own reaction. He pulled the hand away and clasped the other around it as if to hold onto it.
"My father's intentions were not so honorable as yours," Gaara mused and tilted his head to the side. "I do not consider it shameful that I've become that which he did not intend." Gaara's clothes had begun to cling to him. He thought nothing of the growing damp spots of dark material spreading across his chest and legs. He could feel the water at his shoulders sinking into the thin layer of sand.
"You should not be out in the rain," he said. He glanced at Uzumaki, noting the dark patches on the thin shirt. His arms had a thin sheen of water, a few drops sliding down invisible trails to his hands. "Rest and do not worry about me. I am accustomed to long nights alone."
Naruto frowned at that. His chest rose and fell and his hand rubbed through his hair, rubbing in the drops hanging like jewels from the tips of his hair.
"I couldn't sleep either. I couldn't stop thinking," he paused. Gaara's heart leaped up to his throat. He had noticed...
"I'm sorry," he offered without explanation. Gaara's heart began to beat a little faster. His sand grew agitated and he sent soothing thoughts.
"You've saved my life twice now," Gaara said. "My debt to you will never be fulfilled. You need not apologize."
The nervous laughter was drowned out in the heavy pattering of the rain plinking against the tiles.
"I don't think it counts when I'm the one who put you in danger in the first place." Gaara calmed when he surmised the apology had referred to the drowning incident and not what came after.
"I forgave you as soon as it was over. Don't let it trouble you," Gaara looked down into his lap. His own admission startled him when he realized it was true. Had it been one of his subordinates, or even Kankuro, he would have been outraged, or angry enough to instill fear in the other person for days. With Naruto he had been too distracted by the physical contact between them to feel anything other than self-awareness. And yet, he wasn't all that flustered now though the shinobi in question was but an arm's length away.
Naruto was silent. Gaara's eyes shifted to the fabric clinging to his chest. Would he feel differently if that material were gone, or his own clothes were on the floor and nothing but bare skin was between them? Was nakedness essential to provoke the feelings that had confused him earlier in the day?
"Gaara?"
"You're soaked," Gaara commented. He startled when he realized what he had said. He looked down at his own clothes to notice that he was too. He realized that, with the exception of the lake, for the first time since he had arrived in Konoha he felt cool.
"So are you," Naruto said defensively. He rubbed his hands over his arms, but neither of them moved. Gaara looked back up at the sky, an invitation back to his room on the tip of his tongue. But what would he do when he got there? Offer Uzumaki a change of clothes? Suggest they strip out of their wet garments? Already he could feel the warmth in his cheeks as his imagination ran away with him. Perhaps his feelings for the man sitting next to him was more in tune with his sister's deep seeded feelings for her unnamed suitor than his brother's casual dalliances with other leaf shinobi.
"So a funny thing happened the other day," Naruto spoke up and Gaara glanced up in surprise. He didn't question the quick change in topic or the way Naruto was careful not to touch him again when their encounters were so often filled with casual high fives, pats to the back or poking and prodding that only the leaf shinobi was willing to hazard. He smiled as the humorous tale unfolded into the otherwise quiet night, ignoring the rain pouring down on their heads, and enjoyed the familiar sense of peace it brought to his heart.